Monthly Archive for November, 2007

November 2007 – Richard Aston

Published by Richard Aston on November 29, 2007 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

We are still swamped with volunteers contacting us to become mentors, the effects of the advertising binge I did last month is still being felt.

Looking for office space on Auckland’s North shore and we are planning an advertising programme for Rodney. Wellington is rolling along; I think we have found our man there and will be doing the initial interview this year. Aiming at starting in Wellington March/April next year. Been doing lots of funding work and need letters of support from Wellington organisations to make our case stand strong. It’s so lovely getting these letters, such an affirmation that what we do is well received by so many. I have letters from the CEOs of Barnardos, Wesley Social Action, Paula Bennett MP and even opposition leader John Keys. John lost his father at an early age so he is well aware of the need for male role models in boys lives. He met with us (see pic) and I found myself liking him a lot, he is very authentic, but I have never voted for national in my life! He was very interested in getting a feel for social work at a grass roots non government level. It kinda shows me that politics is about people more than parties. In my ideal MMP environment I would vote for my own mix of politicians on a person by person basis.

Every year I like to make my own Chirstmas card and write a poem for the inside, did the same this year, the Christmas card list is up to 600 people now so getting them out was a major.

Here is my Christmas poem for 2007 .

Christmas rolls around again
Our planet has circled the sun once more
And here we are friend – still alive
Still wondering and occasionally
Very occasionally, finding stillness
Amidst the noise and traffic

What a privilege it is to be human
To be alive and kicking,
Licking our wounds, kissing our loved ones
Able to go outside late, on a fine clear night
Looking up to the shear beauty of it all
The vastness, the scale, the shining!

We seem so small, caught up in huge rhythms
Yet in every human heart there lives a flame
However tiny
That holds the possibility to outshine whole galaxies, to outlive light years
It offers the possibility of love

So, as we celebrate Christmas
Let us go straight to the heart of it
Let us celebrate the possibility of love
Give from our hearts,
Wherever, whenever we can

A couple a thousand years ago
A man got nailed for suggesting
Being human was this simple
Every year since then
Our planet has come around
To this point again
It pauses for a moment and waits
For our answer to the question
Is love possible now?

Big Buddy wishes you a wonder-filled Christmas
And all the love you so richly deserve

Go well friend

November 2007 – Maree Burns

Published by Maree Burns on November 28, 2007 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

Here is my penultimate World of Difference diary! This monthly check-in has become such a routine that it will be odd not to have a diary to write each month – I might have to do a monthly update on EDEN’s website instead! In November it was fantastic to attend the World of Difference announcement ceremony for the amazing group of individuals selected to be recipients in 2008. I wish them all the best for their year and I’m sure everyone will make the most of this amazing opportunity. Another World of Difference event in November was attending the Deloitte’s Top 200 Business Awards at which the Vodafone Foundation was finalists in the ethical governance category for the World of Difference programme. It was a fun evening and although the Vodafone Foundation did not win, it was great to see the WOD programme receiving recognition and acknowledgement for supporting work in the community.

Ok, so what work in the community have I been up to in November? I finished my studies for the year (graduate diploma in counselling) as well as staffing the EDEN counselling service and working with a number of clients seeking support for an eating difficulty. I have also been heavily involved with (incredible) contractor Frances Hancock and EDEN worker Jane Tyrer, in developing a comprehensive counselling service policy and procedure. This was one of my key goals for my World of Difference year and it feels incredible to have this documentation (all 25+ pages!) developed and ready to guide our practice and service in the New Year.

In terms of my other goals, I worked with Deb Levy (dynamo youth worker) on preparing the Body Image Leader school project for next year, and completed several funding accountability reports. Fundraising is ongoing! I am proud to announce that the first of the two books that I have been involved in editing is now published. Critical Bodies: Representations, Identities and Practices of Weight and Body Management is a collection of chapters from (mainly) UK-based academics and researchers working with eating and body image issues. My colleague from the University of Auckland and I have a chapter in the book, based upon my New Zealand research with women experiencing bulimia.

In November I cofacilitated (with Marion Gossman) EDEN’s inaugural meeting of our support group for carers, parents and partners of somebody with an eating issue. The meeting was well attended and we hope that this will be an ongoing supportive forum (we meet monthly) for those affected by a loved one’s eating issue. If you know of anybody who might benefit from this group please let them know about it – details are on our website www.eden.org.nz

Finally, I spent a bit of time assisting Rhyll Stafford (EDEN’s agency supervisor/consultant) with the preparation for our annual review and planning days. These two Saturdays are attended by everyone at EDEN (staff, management, governance and collective members) and are designed for us to consider the past year and to do some strategic planning for the next two years. As you can imagine there is quite a lot of prep involved ing considering how well we have achieved our objectives in 2007 and assessing what is useful to commit to for the next two years. Its great to end the year with some clarity around achievements and future plans however!

And on that note… best wishes for the holidays everybody. Have a safe and happy break! Don’t forget that you can still support EDEN AND get 2008 off to a body-loving start by purchasing an EDEN Love Your Body tee on our website.

November 2007 – Deborah Morris-Travers

Published by Deborah Morris-Travers on November 28, 2007 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

 

I started November by attending the Australasian Conference on child Abuse and Neglect, on the Gold Coast (29 Oct-2 November). While much of the focus of the conference was on social work practice and child protection policies, there were some good presentations about abuse prevention and some great examples of government departments working together. But the most important presentation came from the young delegates who made up ten percent of the conference attendees. They were all survivors of abuse and neglect, with powerful stories to tell. It made a significant impact on me to hear them share their stories.

While at the conference I co-presented a workshop on the role of Non-governmental Organisations in the campaign to repeal New Zealand’s corporal punishment laws (Section 59 of the Crimes Act). I also had the opportunity to profile the Every Child Counts campaign to the full conference.

On return, it was straight back into my busy routine at home. I provided feedback on behalf of Every Child Counts on a draft policy for one of the political parties; set up sub-committees to prepare for the 2008 Every Child Counts conference (10/11 September); drafted a campaign plan for 2008; and continued my contribution to planning with the Families Commission.

Another important piece of work I participated in was planning for the release of the Child and Youth Health Indicators Report written by the Child Health Epidemiology Service and the Paediatric Society. I assisted with plans for the release and also drafted an Every Child Counts media statement about the report. I also wrote to a number of MPs to urge them to use the report in their policy development.

In November I met with officials from the Ministry of Social Development to discuss child impact assessments and how these might work to ensure that government policy was securing positive outcomes for children.

I attended a great workshop by Robin Grille, author of the book “Parenting for a Peaceful World.” He talked about connections between parents and children, and how parenting shapes our world.

I also took 5 days off work in November – to have a rest!

November 2007 – Billie Paea

Published by Billie Paea on November 28, 2007 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

Coming to the final quarter of the year has been a time to look back, not only on all the successful events this year, but the skills obtained by our students who have learnt good character building qualities and developed friendships in the past year. This month has been busy with preparation for next year’s Dance Academy, officially starting in February, which the World of a Difference program has made happen.

Desire2Dream Showcase was a major success, and is growing every year. Approximately 1500 people attended the one night of pure dance with the top crews in NZ showing their creativity and style. This show was supposed to be in collaboration with the ‘You Got Served’ tour, featuring Marques Houston and Omarion, but was postponed to February next year. Our part of the show had to go on so we moved the showcase to the Telstra Clear Event Centre. With only a week to pull the whole show off, our events team did an amazing job to make it happen. This event acknowledged that hip hop street dance is a growing part of our culture in Aotearoa.

Another big highlight of my month was visiting New York City, where hip hop culture started. From the Bronx to Brooklyn I found dance companies at different levels such as the prestigious Broadway Dance Centre through to YMCAs and school halls. I wanted to see the difference in how we do things in New Zealand compared to where dance originated from. I learnt a lot from the people over there and one thing was clear, we have it so easy compared to the people over there. NZ is such a safe place compared to New York.

Hip hop started as the dance for the under-privileged who couldn’t afford to go to dance studios so they brought it to the streets of New York, creating their own style. They didn’t have wooden floors, so they used cardboard fridge boxes to dance on. There are different programs in New York similar to ours in NZ, that get kids off the streets doing something productive rather than destructive. Our kids need to be occupied, if they don’t they get bored and start getting into trouble.

I used this time as a networking opportunity and to build relationships with top choreographers and top dance companies to establish a way of connecting our two countries together and establish an exchange program. We want to send our elite dancers to America in exchange for their top dancers, so we can learn from each other.